WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 261, 31 July 1919, Page 6

WAR RELIEF

CLAIMS DURING JULY

AN INTERESTING REPORT

Messrs. L. 0. H. Tripp (chairman), J. Hutcheson, and C. A. 'Even were present at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the executive of the Wellington War Relief Association held in the, association's rooms, Lambton Qirav. The statement of finances showed receipts and payments:—War Fund, £3sb 3s. 6d.; imprest account, .£137 18s. 3d. The investments totalled .££9,590 14s. sd. The state of the total funds on June 30 was as follows:—lnvestments, £69,590 Hs. 5d.; current account, £'525 19s. 9d.; petty cash, £20; total, JJ70.13G Hs-M-Accounts amounting to £214 9s. 7d. were passed for payment.

A Heavy Month. The report of the 1 Applications Committee read a; follows:—"Your_ committee met on eight occasions since last meeting of the Executive Committee on June 27, 1919, and dealt with US applications. The total number of claims received during the period July 1-29, inclusive, was 532, comprising 231 new applications and 301 renewals and reconsiderations. Of these 106 are still under action, but it is anticipated that nearly all of them will be dealt with at to-mor-row's meeting. The unusually large number undisposed of is accounted for by the dosing of the office during peace celebrations. There has been an increase in the number of claims lodged by New Zcalanders who left the Dominion several years before the outbreak of war, and after service with the Imperial Forces have returned to their native land. Some of them have been assisted to .employment, and your committee established one in commercial life.

From all the Allies. "Applications from Canadians, Australians, Italians, Russians, and other units of the Allied Forces; are still being received. Some of these men served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and left dependants' within the Dominion; others were called up by their respective countries and served with their own armies, but have returned to the land of their adoption. There has also ■been an increase in the number of applications submitted by ex-Imperial sailors and soldiers, many of whom reach the Dominion in a temporarily destitute condition. Some of the sailors had served continuously with the Grand Fleet since it mobilised in the Channel in July, 19U, and bore the scars of wounds received in the greatest. naval battle _in history. During the month under review there has, as usual, been really no limit to diversity in the nature of- the applications received. Your committee has paid confinement and burial expenses, has provided baby clothes and working suits, seamen's overalls, and union fees, has granted orders for labourers' kits and stewards and wireless operators' outfits; and it has supplied tools of trade to painters, paperhangers, etc., for whom immediate employment was also available. Artisans' Requirements. "Tho artisans concerned had made heavy allotments to dependants, and considered that a small grant for tools was thereby justified. In any case they did not desire to approach the Repatriation Department for a loan of only five or 6ix In addition to these, 27 others were assisted to employment, and four s.oldier settlers were granted assistance supplementary to that given by the Crown Lands Department, enabling thjjm to immediately commence to work their farms. Several others requiring medical treatment were granted assistance and referred to your hon. medical advisers for preliminary report, some being ultimately 6ent to the Director-General of Medical Services, who gave them his immediate attention,; and yet others were referred to your hon. solicitors for legal opinion and advice.

A Deserted War Bride. "Tour committee authorised a number of temporary weekly, allowances for' the maintenance of several widowed mothers, during the interim between discharge and rehabilitation of tho soldier sons in civil life. Assistance was given to a deserted war bride, and temporary weekly allowances were granted to' women who had married after their husbands had suffered war disability. • The men having entered hospital, their wives being ineligible for war pensions, had no means of sustenance, until able, under agent's warrant, to receive a portion of their husband's pension, and even thon are generally unable to carry on without supplementary assistance, until their husbands- are discharged and fit to resume their employment. Voluminous Correspondence. "These are only a few typical instances of tho nature of the assistance rendered by your committee, which, when necessary, supplements the maximum loan that can he advanced by the Repatriation Department; pays- temporary allowances supplementary to pensions, in the exceptional circumstances warranting such grants; nnd, in certain cases, disburses moneys on behalf of the War Expenses Department. It is impossible, however,, within the limits of this report, to give more than a much abbreviated statement of tho work of your committee; but it may be added that partly as tho result of the inevitable increase in its ordinary duties, and partly as the result -of the increasing ing tendency—because of our military and geographical position—of other kindred bodies within and outside the Dominion, and of New Zealanders domiciled in various parts of the world, to ask for odvico and information,' and to solicit our assistance 'both direct and indirect; the correspondence of your committee at the present average, excluding circular lettew, orders of. tradesmen, etc., .will amount at tho close of tho present year to between - 35,0(10 and 40,000■ letters the entries in its books and finance cards, will approximate 10,000, and the number' of claims investigated will exceed G0O0." The report wa9 adopted.